Salima Okale Lihanda

Grant Writer, Kiwimbi International 

Salima Okale Lihanda is a nonprofit development and resource mobilization professional with more than a decade of experience in fundraising, grant writing, partnerships, communications, and organizational growth. She has helped secure and manage significant philanthropic support for organizations advancing education, economic opportunity, and community development in Africa and the United States.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing from Africa Nazarene University and a Master of Science in Sustainable Development from the University of London. Now based in the United States, Salima is passionate about connecting communities, funders, and ideas to create lasting, locally-led change.

Salima supports Kiwimbi’s fundraising and strategic growth and is deeply committed to the organization’s mission of expanding access to books, educational resources, technology, and practical skills for children and families in rural Kenya. Having grown up in Kenya, she understands firsthand the challenges many communities face in accessing quality education and the transformative impact that locally led opportunities can have.

Away from the fast-paced life of work and study, you will find Salima outdoors hiking, traveling, reading, cooking and spending time with her family. She remains excited about the power and potential of education to deliver positive change, provide opportunity and fight poverty and is determined, through her work, to make a positive impact and transform lives through education.

Contact Salima at: salima.lihanda@kiwimbi.org